--%>

Explain Tachyon

Tachyon: The purely speculative particle that is supposed to travel faster than light. According to Sir Einstein's equations of special relativity, a particle with imaginary rest mass and a velocity more than c would contain a real momentum and energy. Ironically, the bigger the kinetic energy of a tachyon, the slower it travels, approaching c asymptotically (from the above) as its energy approaches infinity. On the other hand, a tachyon trailing kinetic energy travels faster and faster, till the kinetic energy approaches to zero (0), the speed of the tachyon approaches to infinity; such a tachyon with zero energy and infinite speed is termed as transcendent.

The special relativity does not appear to specifically keep out tachyons, so long as they do not cross the light-speed barrier and do not interrelate with the other particles to cause causality violations. The quantum mechanical examines of tachyons point out that even although they travel faster than light they would not be able to take information faster than light, therefore failing to violate the causality. However in this situation, when tachyons are by their very nature undetectable, it fetches into question how real they may be.

   Related Questions in Physics

  • Q : Define Hoop conjecture Hoop conjecture

    Hoop conjecture (K.S. Thorne, 1972): The conjecture (as so far unproven, although there is substantial proof to support it) that a non-spherical object, non-spherically compressed, will only form a black hole whenever all parts of the

  • Q : Becquerel Becquerel : Bq (after A.H.

    Becquerel: Bq (after A.H. Becquerel, 1852-1908) - The derived SI unit of the activity stated as the activity of radionuclide decay at a rate, on the average, of one nuclear transition every 1 s; it hence has units of s-1.

  • Q : Define Van der Waals force Van der

    Van der Waals force (J.D. van der Waals): The forces responsible for non-ideal behavior of gases, and for lattice energy of molecular crystals. There are three main causes: dipole-dipole interaction; dipole-induced dipole moments; and dispersion a for

  • Q : Explain Cosmological constant

    Cosmological constant (Lambda): The constant mentioned to the Einstein field equation, proposed to admit the static cosmological solutions. At the time the present philosophical view was steady-state model of the space, where the Universe has been aro

  • Q : Explain Tachyon Tachyon: The purely

    Tachyon: The purely speculative particle that is supposed to travel faster than light. According to Sir Einstein's equations of special relativity, a particle with imaginary rest mass and a velocity more than c would contain a real momentum and energy

  • Q : What is Cherenkov radiation Cherenkov

    Cherenkov radiation (P.A. Cherenkov): The radiation emitted by a huge particle which is moving faster than light in the medium via which it is travelling. No particle can travel faster than the light in vacuum, however the speed of light in other medi

  • Q : Define Cosmological redshift

    Cosmological redshift: The effect where light emanates from a distant source appears redshifted since of the expansion of the space time itself.

  • Q : What is Meissner effect Meissner effect

    Meissner effect (W. Meissner; 1933): The reduction of the magnetic flux in a superconducting metal whenever it is cooled beneath the transition temperature. That is the superconducting materials imitate magnetic fields.

  • Q : Biot-Savart law Biot-Savart law (J.B.

    Biot-Savart law (J.B. Biot, F. Savart) - The law which explains the contributions to the magnetic field by an electric current. This is analogous to the Coulomb's law. Mathematically: dB = (mu0 I)/(4 pi r2) dl cross e

  • Q : Explain Poisson equation and Poisson

    Explain Poisson equation and Poisson spot: Poisson equation (S.D. Poisson): The differential form of Gauss' law, that is, div E = rho, Pois